Our work on Goal 17: Partnership for the Goals

Stirling’s Education and Student Experience Strategy 2025-2030

The University of Stirling demonstrates a strong commitment to advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through strategic collaboration and curriculum transformation. Our Education and Student Experience Strategy 2025–2030, developed in 2024 and approved in 2025, reflects a whole-institution approach to sustainability. It aligns with Stirling’s Strategic Plan and enabling strategies, including Global Engagement and Research and Innovation.

Co-created through extensive consultation with staff, students, and the Students’ Union, this forward-looking strategy embeds sustainability and global citizenship across our educational portfolio. Objective One commits to designing an inclusive, innovative curriculum that addresses urgent societal challenges and equips students with the skills and knowledge to thrive as global citizens. This is supported by initiatives to enhance student success, upskill staff, and foster meaningful partnerships with students - ensuring Stirling graduates are prepared to tackle complex global issues collaboratively and ethically.

Complementing the Global Engagement Strategy’s focus on internationalisation at home, transnational education, and collaborative global classrooms, the Education and Student Experience Strategy further demonstrates Stirling’s dedication to the SDGs by building strong, inclusive partnerships that advance sustainable development through education.

Some works are already underway in embedding learning about the SDGs through modular, programmatic and extra-curricular activity. Examples include the following.

Wicked Problems / Sustainable Solutions

Wicked Problems / Sustainable Solutions is a first-year module available to students across the University and was introduced in the 2023-24 academic year. The module continues to grow in popularity and student enrolments doubled in 2024-25. It takes an innovative, interdisciplinary learning approach to introduce students to perspectives on sustainability and the climate crisis, using the United Nations SDGs as openings to wider exploration. Contributions from academic staff in all five University Faculties, who are engaged in research to find solutions to some of the most challenging problems that affect us globally, are underpinned by seminar-based learning, equipping future graduates from all  disciplines with relevant skills.

Sustainability courses

Courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels available to students in 2024 that have a focus on sustainability include:

• • Environmental Law and Climate Justice
  • Environmental Management
  • Environmental Science
  • Sustainable Aquaculture
  • International Conflict and Cooperation

Green Leaf - recognising student volunteering in sustainable activities

Green Leaf is an optional sustainability-focused enhancement at any level of the extracurricular My Stirling Award for students. It recognises students’ engagement in sustainable activities - many of which they may already be doing - such as volunteering with environmental organisations, including NGOs, or joining sustainability-related societies.

Developed in collaboration with faculties and the Students’ Union, Green Leaf encourages students to reflect on how their activities contribute to sustainability. To earn a Green Leaf award, students must complete a short (150–200 word) reflective summary on their sustainability-focused activities, which is added to their overall My Stirling Award reflection. This addition is noted on their university transcript and can be included in CVs to demonstrate sustainability-related skills to employers.

Services in Student Skills and Employability

Our services in Student Skills and Employability support graduates in influencing sustainable development in the workplace which, in turn, helps to drive forward sustainable change in the wider community. As the first Scottish university signatory of the Sustainable Recruitment Alliance pledge and winners of the 2025 targetjobs Award for sustainability in talent and education, we are committed to finding more sustainable ways to attract and recruit early talent. This includes collaborating with a range of NGOs across credit-bearing Work-Based Learning in our curriculum with students completing live work placements as well as actively promote volunteering as co-curricular activity to students through our on-campus careers events.

Examples of the NGOs we have worked with include the Sustainable Recruitment Alliance, Stenhousemuir Community Foundation, Forth Valley Sensory Centre and Quarriers.

Free access and education for the local community

The University of Stirling is proud to take part in the annual festival of social sciences and to help our local community explore and celebrate the world of social sciences. The University puts on a mix of virtual and face-to-face events, held across Stirling and central Scotland, allowing everyone to take part in and hear about social science research. All events are free to the public.

Events in 2024 included ‘Exploring our automated futures - AI, data and surveillance’, a ‘Technology Taster Session for Seniors’ and an ‘Intergenerational digital ideas swap shop’. Events in November 2023 focussing on Exploring Society Together included 'Young Refugees: Telling Our Stories' showcasing creative storytelling, photography, and art by unaccompanied young refugees in Scotland to share their lived experiences and perspectives.

Green Week takes place every year and is an interactive week dedicated to sustainability, active travel, biodiversity and waste reduction. Through free face to face events, it encourages staff, students and our local community to adopt a greener lifestyle. Events delivered in 2024 included the Sustainable Living Fair and ‘People, Profit, Planet: Sustainable Business 101’.

International partnerships for teaching excellence

The University of Stirling actively contributes to SDG 17 by fostering a diverse and strategic portfolio of international partnerships that enhance global cooperation in education and research. These partnerships span joint and double degrees, split-site programmes, transnational education (TNE), and international access provision, reflecting Stirling’s commitment to inclusive and high-quality global education. In 2023-24 there were over 2,200 students enrolled at TNE partners which approached 2500 in 2024-25.

Key initiatives include: 

• Collaborative teaching and research with institutions worldwide, such as the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Kwansei Gakuin University (Japan), Pompeu Fabra University (Spain) the Singapore Institute of Management, and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research.
• Global campuses, including the University of Stirling Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE, and the Chengdu University Stirling College (China) which offer undergraduate programmes tailored to regional and global needs.
• Opportunities for student and staff mobility, intercultural competence development, and international placements that prepare students to thrive in a globalised workforce through the Turing Fund and the Scottish Education Exchange Programme.

These partnerships not only support Stirling’s strategic goals but also exemplify the university’s role in strengthening global collaboration, knowledge exchange, and capacity building - core tenets of SDG 17.

In March 2024, the University hosted a series of knowledge exchange sessions at partner-led events, designed to stimulate discussion on topics of mutual interest and for sharing innovative best practices across the globe. Four different institutions were represented - University of Stirling, Singapore Institute of Management, British University Vietnam and Chengdu University Stirling College.

University partners were also represented at the University of Stirling Learning and Teaching Conference in June 2025 with the keynote being presented by Dr Mike Perkins, Head of the Centre for Research & Innovation at British University Vietnam (BUV).

Scotland Malawi Partnership (SMP) youth festival

In 2024, the University of Stirling’s hosting of the SMP Youth Festival exemplifies its commitment to global citizenship and international collaboration, key pillars of SDG 17. The festival brought together students, academics, and youth leaders to explore themes of sustainability, equity, and partnership through interactive workshops and discussions. It showcased the university’s role in fostering meaningful connections between Scotland and Malawi, encouraging young people to engage with global challenges and contribute to sustainable development.

Learning for sustainability in initial teacher education

Since August 2023, Prof Lizzie Rushton has served as lead for Learning for Sustainability (LfS) for the Scottish Council of Deans of Education including leadership of a new national working group. Consistent with the Scottish Government’s Learning for Sustainability Action Plan 2023-2030, a key priority has been to create a single national approach to support LfS within Initial Teacher Education (ITE).

Through Professor Rushton’s leadership, the national working group has involved over thirty people. This has included teacher educators from each of the eleven HEIs in Scotland which have ITE programmes as well as experts from the General Teaching Council Scotland, Learning for Sustainability Scotland and Education Scotland. The framework is now in the first phase of guiding the education of student teachers across Scotland and providing school-based mentors and university-based teacher educators with vital support to realise the LfS as an entitlement for all children and young people.

Scottish International Environment Centre (SIEC)

SIEC, led by the University of Stirling, is a pioneering initiative driving the development of a net zero regional economy through strategic partnerships, innovation, and community engagement. Its work directly supports SDG 17 by fostering collaboration across academia, industry, government, and NGOs to tackle global sustainability challenges.

Key contributions in 2024 include: 

• Youth engagement and education: The Young Pathfinders programme empowers school pupils to explore climate solutions, including AI applications, and has received parliamentary recognition. This initiative develops educational resources and fosters environmental awareness among young people.
• Collaborative research: SIEC leads and contributes to international research programmes such as DOORS (focused on Black Sea regeneration), DANUBIUS (river-sea continuum modelling), and MERLIN (ecosystem restoration via nature-based solutions), working with European partners and NGOs to address climate resilience and biodiversity.
• Community and NGO partnerships: Through the Forth Climate Forest and FORTH20 Policy Innovation Partnership, SIEC collaborates with local stakeholders and NGOs to enhance ecological sustainability and social wellbeing. These projects integrate environmental data with social insights to inform policy and practice.
• Volunteering and skills development: SIEC has delivered 118 net zero-related training courses, including 32 tailored for under-represented groups, and supported 20 entrepreneurs in developing low-carbon innovations. These efforts build capacity and promote inclusive participation in sustainability efforts.

Together, these initiatives illustrate how SIEC embodies SDG 17 by leveraging partnerships to co-create solutions, engage communities, and translate research into impactful action.

Satellite emergency mapping system

In 2024, the University of Stirling demonstrated its commitment to the SDGs by participating in international collaboration on gathering and measuring data to support global emergency response. Stirling scientists were central to the development of a lifesaving emergency mapping system in partnership with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

The system is designed to provide and monitor rapid, real-time data during natural disasters such as floods, wildfires, and earthquakes. The new service forms part of the International Charter: Space and Major Disasters, a global network of over 270 satellites from 17 Charter members around the world, working to support disaster relief. The service will also contribute to future crisis preparedness, using baseline data collected by satellites to model potential scenarios with research expertise informing interventions, long-term resilience planning, and developing more effective response strategies and policies for adaptive management. Explore Stirling’s Earth observation expertise.

SEPA’s initiative is a significant milestone for Scotland’s growing space industry. By embracing advanced satellite technologies, the agency is positioning Scotland as a leader in environmental protection and space technology. This launch underscores the Scottish Government’s commitment to fostering the country’s space sector while addressing urgent environmental challenges at home and abroad.

The Beacon Project

The University of Stirling’s Beacon Project is a major international research initiative that exemplifies how global collaboration can drive progress on SDGs. Funded by the Medical Research Council and involving partners such as the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, The World Bank, and universities across the globe, the project investigates how development processes - particularly hydropower - impact biodiversity, energy justice, and social equity.

Using hydropower as a model system, the project applies interdisciplinary methods to quantify trade-offs, conflicts, and synergies between SDGs and stakeholders. It aims to develop international best practice by comparing approaches across regions and identifying strategies to forecast, prevent, and mitigate conflicts in sustainable development. Research outputs from 2024 include:

• Dual ecological and socio-cultural fragmentation induced by hydropower dams: case studies from the Greater Himalayan region of India;
• Biodiversity responses to insular fragmentation in Amazonia: two decades of research in the Balbina Hydroelectric Reservoir.

The Beacon Project is a clear example of Stirling’s commitment to equitable, comparative research that informs policy and practice globally supporting the SDGs not only through knowledge generation but also through inclusive, cross-sector partnerships.

Stepping up to the SDGs roadshow hosted at Stirling 

In April 2024, the University of Stirling hosted a free roadshow event organised by Scotland’s International Development Alliance (SIDA), which brought together academics, international NGOs (iNGOs), and advocacy organisations to discuss progress on SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15 (Life on Land). The event featured contributions from Stirling researchers, who presented work from the Centre for Policy, Conflict and Co-operation Research, highlighting how academic research can inform real-world environmental policy and practice.

The cross-sector dialogue extended beyond academia, with speakers from civil society organisations such as CISONECC (Civil Society Network on Climate Change) and SCIAF (Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund) sharing insights from their Loss and Damage project in Malawi, which was supported by the Scottish Government. This project exemplifies how cross-sectoral partnerships can deliver SDG-aligned outcomes and influence policy at national and international levels.

The event also included contributions from CBM, an international NGO advocating for disability-inclusive climate action, and the Challenges Group, which supports social entrepreneurship aligned with the SDGs. These diverse perspectives created a platform for multi-sectoral dialogue, demonstrating how universities like Stirling are actively engaging with NGOs and government-funded initiatives to advance the SDG agenda through collaborative discussion and knowledge exchange.